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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

Here's a few questions that have at times resurfaced and a few brief answers.

Are there 20 Aarons in the attic? No. This is not ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. Whenever there are two or three of yourself running around, one of you is bound to turn off the box to prevent an abundance of yourself. Also, sooner or later, one of you will get the idea that there is at least one of you too many. (Hint: smell your milk first.)

Did Aaron or Rachael die at the party? There is no evidence that this ever happened in the film. True, we can not believe everything that Aaron says. However, death is just simply never brought up in the plot of the film. So it is going too far with what could have happened. If someone actually died, it would not make any ethical sense for Aaron(2) to invite this person to the party deliberately. It is apparent that Aaron(2) never thought to empty the shotgun before Abe mentions it, which would be likely if someone had been shot.

Is Abe in love with Kara? Is Aaron in love with Rachel? These ideas surface when Aaron and Abe have an exchange at the airport. This is just Aaron’s accusation. Likewise, at the fountain scene, Abe is angry that Aaron is time traveling by himself, risking his life for Rachel’s sake. He does not say that he thinks Aaron is in love with Rachel. These ideas are more of their paranoia than reality. When you fail-safe into almost total oblivion, you get a little edgy. Aaron’s decision to leave for France and let Aaron(1) have Kara may seem to Abe that Aaron(2) is detached or indifferent. Abe just doesn’t see the need to escape from the powerful effects of the boxes. His decision to watch over the next week’s events could pull him right back into the next cycle of the boxes that Aaron(1) and Abe(1) are about to build in another day or two. Thus if Abe(2) succeeds, he could cause his own paradox. Abe feels that it is his responsibility to control the future effects of his invention. Aaron seems intent to start anew. His double will continue to live with his family while he continues with his God complex.